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Telmisartan, an angiotensin II receptor type 1 blocker, is often used as an antihypertension drug, and it has also been characterized as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) ligand. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the antitumor effects of telmisartan on endometrial cancer cells. We treated three endometrial cancer cell lines with various concentrations of telmisartan, and we investigated the effects of the telmisartan on the cell proliferation, apoptosis, and their related measurements in vitro. We also administered telmisartan to nude mice with experimental tumors to determine its in vivo effects and toxicity. All three endometrial cancer cell lines were sensitive to the growth-inhibitory effect of telmisartan. The induction of apoptosis was confirmed in concert with the altered expression of genes and proteins related to the apoptosis. We also observed that DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) were induced in HHUA (human endometrial cancer) cells by telmisartan treatment. In addition, experiments in nude mice showed that telmisartan significantly inhibited human endometrial tumor growth, without toxic side effects. Our results suggest that telmisartan might be a new therapeutic option for the treatment of endometrial cancers.

Meningeal metastasis is rare in the clinical course of ovarian carcinoma and its prognosis is extremely poor. We experienced a case of carcinomatous meningitis from metastatic ovarian small cell carcinoma. A 33-year-old woman with atypical genital bleeding, was diagnosed with a right ovarian tumor and referred to our department. She underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and lymphadenectomy. It was an optimal debulking surgery. She was diagnosed with ovarian carcinoma classified as Stage IIIc according to the Féderation Internationale de Gynécologie et d’Obstétrique classification system. Histological findings showed small cell carcinoma of the pulmonary type. The tumor was bilateral with paraaortic lymph node involvement. The patient was treated with irinotecan and cisplatin (CPT-P therapy). After 4 courses of CPTP therapy, multiple liver metastases and Virchow’s lymph node metastases were found. She was treated with amrubicin as a secondline chemotherapy, but the treatment was ineffective. Five months after surgery, the patient complained of severe headache and nausea. Lumbar puncture was performed and cytology was positive. Magnetic resonance brain imaging indicated meningeal thickening. The patient was diagnosed with meningeal metastasis and received 19-Gy whole cranial irradiation. In spite of these treatments, her disease progressed rapidly and she was often drowsy. She died of aspiration pneumonia 6 months after surgery.

Background: Glycosylation is one of the most common post-translational modifications of eukaryotic proteins and is known to undergo dynamic changes in a wide range of biological processes. To date, however, the glycan expression profiles in endometriosis are largely unknown. The objective of the study was to identify the panel of glycans that were aberrantly expressed in endometriosis, a hormone-dependent disease. Methods: The glycan expression profiles in primary cultured human endometriotic cyst stromal cells (ECSCs) and normal endometrial stromal cells (NESCs) were determined by lectin microarray analysis. Distribution of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA)-binding glycans in ovarian endometriotic cysts and eutopic proliferative phase endometrium were assessed by lectin histochemistry. The expressions of N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferases that synthesize WFA-binding glycans were evaluated in ECSCs and NESCs. Results: We found that the levels of WFA-binding glycans were decreased in ECSCs. Lectin histochemistry revealed that WFA-binding glycans were decreased only in the stromal components of the ovarian endometriotic cysts, but not in the epithelial components, compared to the eutopic proliferative phase endometrium. The expressions of N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferases that synthesize WFA-binding glycans were downregulated in ECSCs. Conclusions: Utilizing lectin microarray analysis and lectin histochemistry, we found that WFA-binding glycans were decreased in endometriosis. The synthetic enzymes of WFA-binding glycans were significantly downregulated in ECSCs. It is suggested that reduced expression of N-glycans with WFA-binding properties on ECSCs is a novel characteristics of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]